United States (US) re-imposed sanctions on Iran will be the strongest in history forcing that nation to "be battling to keep its economy alive." This is a sharp assessment of what the Trump administration intends to inflict upon the Islamic Republic. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed the US intent.

But the Trump administration should proceed with great caution in all efforts to inflict undue and excessive punishment on Iran. Instead, the administration should look to the catastrophic lessons of history for the realities of great punishment inflicted upon any people, as its guide to tempering justice with mercy with regards to the Iranian people.

The punishment of Germany after World War I should offer a great lesson for the Trump administration. The millions of deaths suffered in World War II were directly related to German's harsh punishment out of World War I that gave rise to the Nazis and all the ensuing atrocities.

Since the international community has found that Iran has played by the rules established within the perimeters of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, then why seek to exert undue and excessive punishment upon the nation? No peace will come from punishing Iran.

Yet, peace in the Middle East could be contained if European nations are allowed to engage Iran toward global cooperation in lieu of any US support. Maybe Washington's best course of action toward Iran at this time would be to do nothing: just sit and wait and see what will transpire between Europe, Russia, China and Iran.